You Are Still There
by LegolasLover2003
Summary: A thousand years after Aragorn's death, Legolas is happy and at peace in Valinor. With his famiy, Thranduil, Legolia, and his mother, at his side, as well as his wife and young daughter, Legolas remembers his dearest friend ever... Estel.


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You Are Still There

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A LOTR Short Story By; LegolasLover2003 aka Ashley

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_There was much to say_

_And so much more to do_

_There was time to share_

_And troubles to go through.  
  
_

_I sit alone now_

_And wonder to myself_

_I think back on all the times_

_We've shared._

_And I wonder..._

_Yes I wonder..._

_Are you listening?_

_Are you even there?  
  
_

_We were friends forever_

_But time seems so short_

_I was by your side_

_Every single day_

_I pass by your house_

_And I see that you've gone_

_So I think back on all the times_

_We've shared.  
  
_

_And I wonder..._

_Yes I wonder..._

_Are you listening?_

_Are you even there?_

_The two of us were different_

_In so many ways_

_But when you were around_

_I felt the same.  
  
_

_When I first met you_

_I had not a clue_

_I thought that you were just_

_A lonely child_

_So much younger_

_And in so much pain_

_How could you grow up_

_To be your destiny?  
  
_

_And I wonder..._

_Yes I wonder..._

_Are you listening?_

_Are you even there?_

_I was a warrior_

_A prince among my kind_

_I had seen the years turn_

_So many times.  
  
_

_But then when I met you_

_I finally realized_

_That my life finally meant_

_Something so much more._

_I knew I had to care for you_

_Until you were strong_

_So I vowed eternal friendship_

_And began our brotherly bond.  
  
_

_And I wonder..._

_Yes I wonder..._

_Are you listening?_

_Are you even there?_

_-Ashley_

* * *

"Do you still miss him?" 

Legolas stopped singing and turned, the moonlight catching his hair and playing upon his features. He looked otherworldly, the woman realized as she stepped from the shadows of the room to stand upon the balcony with her brother.

A smile graced the prince's lips as he shook his head. "His passing no longer fills me with grief. I have learned to take simple pleasure in the joys we have shared.

"But you sing of him still?" Legolia asked, putting a hand on her brother's arm.

Legolas nodded, "I do, for Estel deserves to be sung of for all the ages."

There was silence for a moment before the prince looked back out to the sky. His balcony overlooked the harbor and beyond it, the magnificent sea stretched for miles and miles. The deep blue was black on this night as the moon's light played tricks with the rippling waves. A slight breeze was in the air, catching the Elf's long un-braided hair and tossing it about him. Legolas closed his eyes and breathed deeply the scent of the sea.

He was so very happy.

Legolia regarded him, standing there in a shimmering silver robe lined in blue. His sleeves reached far down his arms, setting off his slender features and making the archer look every bit the prince he was. But no circlet rested upon his brow as stray strands of hair slipped into his eyes.

"Legolas?"

The soft call turned both the heads of the archer and his sister. A slender Elf waited in the doorway, her brown hair cascading down her shoulders in waves.

With a smile, Legolas walked towards her, "Meleth nin, do not tell me I am late."

She laughed, "Nay, good husband. I sent your sister to find you, and it appears she has."

"If not for me, he would still be lost in his thoughts." Legolia replied, joining them.

Legolas hugged his wife, kissing her brow. "Come." he said with a smile, "Let us join the others."

* * *

"Tell us again!" the small Elfling giggled, watching Legolas closely. 

The prince rolled his eyes, "Again? Ai! I have already told you of him once this fortnight!"

"But we love that tale so very much!" another Elfling spoke up, this one sitting next to the archer's legs.

Legolas sighed, "Very well." he replied, pulling his daughter, the giggling Elfling, into his lap. "But you must remember how very long ago this was." he smiled as he began to recount his own past...

"Over a thousand years ago, there was a great kingdom of Men in Middle-earth. It was called Gondor, and it's capital city was Minas Tirith. Here I dwelt for many years with my very best friend. He was a human with the blood of Numenor, one of the Dunedain." Legolas smiled as Aragorn's face came to his memory.

The man's laugh filled his mind. There was a sparkle in his friend's eyes, as if he had just gotten away with some sort of grand mischief.

"He had many names. To the people of his country, he was Elessar, a mighty King of Men. To the Rangers he was Strider, a Man of the West just like they themselves were. To those who knew him personally, he was Aragorn, a mighty warrior. But to me... to me he would always be Estel."

The girl in his lap squirmed slightly, looking up at her father and tugging on the edge of his robes. "Why did he have so many names, ada?"

Legolas smiled, "Because, tithen pen, he was a very important person. For the first twenty years of his life, or mortals age quickly where we do not, he was known only as Estel, as hope. He was a young boy growing up in a world of Elves. Lord Elrond told him his true name, Aragorn, shortly after his twentieth year. When he joined the Rangers, he became Strider, Telcontar. He became the Dunedan. For you see, if any of the evil servants of the Dark Lord had known that there was a man by the name of Aragorn running about Middle-earth, he surely would have been killed. Aragorn was the heir to Gondor's throne, for that realm had no such leader for many lifetimes of men. His name was foretold to be Elfstone, Elessar, and he promised to take it as the name of his house when he once more claimed his birthright. But for nearly a century, he was a protector of the world. He joined the forces of Gondor and Rohan, under the guise of Thorongil, in their plight against the Dark Lord. Yet, even though he possessed so many names, I always called him by that which I had first learned. To me, he was always Estel. He was always Hope."

The prince's smile of remembrance garnered a laugh from his little daughter and she snuggled closer to him. With her father's chest as her pillow, she closed her eyes, listening to the elder Elf's heartbeat and the melodious way in which he spoke.

"There was always a sparkle in Estel's eyes, always a hint of mischief. He was so very kind, yet a true warrior. A true leader. I watched him grow through the years we had. I watched him mature, but retain that boyish innocence deep down, despite everything. I watched him raise a country from the ashes of fire and despair. I watched as he rebuilt the lives of so many in his land. I watched as he healed the nature about Gondor. I watched as he grew, as he learned, as he laughed, and as he cried. His pain was my pain, and mine was his own. Yet, through our grief, through our joys, through our ups, and through our downs... Estel always remained." Legolas smiled once more as he brushed a stray strand of hair from his daughter's brow. "He was the greatest friend anyone could have ever asked for."

* * *

Legolia smiled as she stood near the fire, watching the young Elflings gather about her brother as he told them stories of a world that was so very far away. 

"They all love him so." Thranduil said, sitting next to the hearth, his wife, Legolas and Legolia's mother, by his side.

The princess smiled, "It is because he is still far too young of heart."

"I will second that." the prince's wife replied with a twinkle in her eye.

A sigh escaped the Elvenking as he smiled, watching his son interact with the Elflings. They were both Legolas and Legolia's own children, as well as a few of the Elflings from neighboring households.

"It is good to be together once again..." Thranduil whispered, hugging his own wife close and kissing her hand. "It is good to finally be at peace."

* * *

He leaned down, kissing the brow of his daughter and pulling the coverlet up to her chin. 

"Sleep well, tithen pen." Legolas whispered with a smile, stepping away from the Elfling's bedside.

He blew out the room's lone burning candle and slipped into the hall. Not long later, the prince retired to his own chamber. He found his wife waiting within.

A smile graced the archer's features, "You waited for me."

She nodded, "I did."

The woman was lying in their grand bed, a candle burning low next to her and a book in her hands. Legolas began to undress until he was in naught but his leggings. Slipping into bed, he smiled as his wife blew out her candle and pillowed her head on his shoulder.

A sigh escaped him, for the Elven prince was perfectly content.

"Do you fare well, meleth nin?" his wife asked, "Even after your recounting of your youth and of your dear friend."

Legolas pondered the question for a long moment, his eyes open and watching the moon's light play upon the walls.

"It has been many years, meleth nin. I treasure the memories I have of Estel, but they do not bring me any sadness. I only hope to share those happy times with others, that they might find joy in what I myself have experienced." Legolas looked to his wife, gently stroking her dark hair as he spoke. "Middle-earth belongs to the race of Men now, it has for a very long time." he smiled, genuinely happy. "This is my home, meleth nin. And I have never, ever, been so at peace before my journey here."

The woman smiled back, lifting her head to kiss him gently on the cheek. "And I thought you were afraid of traveling to the Valinor."

Legolas' answer was a kiss.

As the night deepened, and the husband and wife laid in one another's embrace, the Elven prince remembered his life prior to his journey to the West. He cherished every minute of his previous life and would not have passed it by for all the world. This was just like that had been, yet another stage. Life would continue on, as it always did for one of the Firstborn. Legolas would continue to remember, to preserve, and to relate his years in Middle-earth as long as eternity lasted. Now however, it was Legolas' turn to truly live. It was his turn to find the happiness that one searched for all his life.

Yet he would always remember the things closet to his heart.

* * *

_So late at night when I think of you_

_And realize that you're gone_

_A lonely tear slides down my cheek_

_And falls.  
  
_

_I remember all the good times_

_We have shared_

_And I recall all your words to me_

_In my soul_

_And I know..._

_Yes I know..._

_You are listening._

_You are still there.  
  
_

_You are listening, my friend..._

_Estel... you are still there._

_-Ashley

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_

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to the "Lord of the Rings". The song however, was written by me, with inspiration from LOTR. You may use the song as long as you give credit where it is due.

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Author's Note: 

This came from looking at a wallpaper way too long. You can find the link to the image, the cover if you will, for this story. It is the last link on my profile page. The image is not of my own hand however, and there is a disclaimer for it on the profile page as well.

This is only one chapter long. It is a short story.

I kept myself from giving Legolas' wife, daughter, or mother a name. I figured that I had already taken enough liberties giving him a sister (Legolia). Since, no one knows what happened to Legolas' mother, I assume she left for Valinor (that she did not die).

I hope you guys like it. I wrote it in about thirty minutes, and I'm afraid it actually looks like I wrote it in that amount of time. But I wanted something to use the song for. I like to think that Legolas was the one who wrote it, in remembrance of Aragorn.

Lastly, the reason why the song/poem is so split oddly, is because 's editor is freakin insane and won't let me seperate them into little stanzas (or whatever you call them). So no, it's one person singing, it's just seperated for better measure and makeing it easier to read.

Laters!


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